It is that season again! During these snowy winter months a favorite past time of many of us is curling up with a blanket and putting in a movie that puts you in that certain holiday mood. Some of my favorites include the classics such as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Santa Clause is Comin’ to Town and the Home Alone movies. As these are very well known and common cozy classics I will not be covering them in this blog post. To be honest, my taste in Christmas movies ranges towards the darker side (except for one glaring exception). Dear readers, I hope you find something of interest as I share my Christmas favorites.
Beauty and the Beast and The Enchanted Christmas
This Christmas movie has been my #1 favorite since childhood and is the exception to the darker theme of others on this list. I grew up in Dundee Wisconsin. There was not much there. There is still the gas station that is a hub and general store for the tiny town. What the gas station no longer has are VHS tapes to rent out. It was a very small selection and always a special treat when mom took me to pick something to rent. Beauty and the Beast and The Enchanted Christmas often came home with me. (As an adult I now own the movie on DVD so I can watch it whenever I please.)
The movie is set in the between time in the original Beauty and the Beast movie. (My husband complains that this does not make sense as they would have had no time to celebrate Christmas, but hey suspend your disbelief and embrace the whimsy!) Belle finds out that the inhabitants of the castle have not celebrated Christmas since the Enchantress cursed the Beast. In fact the Beast has forbidden the celebration of Christmas as it reminds him of his curse and makes him angry. Belle sets out to restore the Christmas spirit to the castle and break the ice of the Beast’s cold and angry heart. This movie also includes one of my all time favorite Christmas songs ever: As Long As There’s Christmas. For warm fuzzy feelings and magic that warms the heart check out Beauty and the Beast and The Enchanted Christmas.
Click HERE to request Beauty and the Beast The Enchanted Christmas
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Nightmare Before Christmas is quite the classic and beloved by many. The touch of the macabre alongside the traditional Christmas themes it an absolute delight. In the making of this movie, Tim Burton sought to emulate the claymation styles of beloved Christmas movies such as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. What results from this is a delightful and whimsical adventure.
Jack Skellington is the King of Halloween Town. Every year the inhabitants (werewolves, monsters, ghosts, and ghouls) all delight themselves in getting ready to serve up some Halloween fright. Lately though, Jack has tired of it all. Year after year it is the same old thing. He yearns for something new and different. Then he stumbles on Christmas Town. Christmas Town is full of all the snow, glitter, and inner warmth that the season brings. Jack sets out to share this with the residents of his own town. He hatches a plot that Halloween Town will take over Christmas this year and add their own take on the holiday. The movie is fun for the whole family and filled with music, laughs, warm Christmas cheer, and Halloween charm.
Click HERE to request The Nightmare Before Christmas!
The Conjuring 2
How in the world is the Conjuring 2 a Christmas movie? Dear readers, I will tell you. The Conjuring 2 tells the story of Ed and Lorraine Warren and the Hodgson family. The Hodgson family is made up of Peggy, single mother of four children: Janet, Margaret, Johnny, and Billy. They live in a rather old flat in London. Things start to go wrong when an evil entity starts possessing the daughter, Janet. The family is at their wits end and without any hope. Enter Ed and Lorraine Warren. Ed and Lorraine are a couple who work for the Catholic church. They are brought in to prove a possession is not a hoax before a priest is called to do an exorcism. Ed and Lorraine bring hope to an otherwise hopeless family and make sure that they can still have a happy Christmas despite the darkness that abounds. Ed and Lorraine get them a tree and all the trappings. Ed even gets out the guitar and sings the Elvis hit song “Can’t Help Falling in Love”. This is how I fell in love with that song and enjoy Elvis music. This is how The Conjuring 2 counts as a Christmas movie. Why do I love the Conjuring movies? Ed and Lorraine always show that love always wins.
Click HERE to request The Conjuring 2!
Krampus
Yes, Krampus is a horror Christmas movie, but it is a darn funny one. The little killer gingerbread men are just hilarious and I recommend this movie due just to their existence. Krampus is an Austrian German tradition dating back to medieval times. He is pretty much the dark version of St. Nick. According to legend good kids are given treats by St. Nick while bad kids are taken away by Krampus. I believe it to be a fun tradition as there are now festivals devoted to Krampus that involve costumes, parades, and generally a lot of fun.
Anyway, the Krampus movie puts a different take on the legend. In the movie Krampus comes for people who have lost their Christmas spirit and imprisons them in snow globes. The leading family is full of drama in this movie. Instead of enjoying their time together for the holidays they squabble. The youngest child, Max, is troubled by his family’s actions as this is not how Christmas should be. Max accidentally ends up summoning Krampus. Krampus plagues the family with a variety of humorous troubles including killer gingerbread men and scary Christmas toys that resemble something out of Nightmare Before Christmas. All in all, the movie is great fun if you are into Christmas movies that tend to the darker side.
Click HERE to request Krampus!
Violent Night
Violent Night is an action comedy and a very fun romp. Santa is tired. Tired of people’s greed and materialistic pettiness. What happened to Christmas spirit and magic? What happened to the time when people valued each other above things? Santa is determined to retire after this Christmas. One little girl and her Christmas wish make him change his mind.
The main family in this movie is super rich. The kind of super rich who squabble a lot over inheritance and other family drama. Still, Santa has to make the rounds. Trudy, the little girl of the family still believes in the spirit of Christmas. While the family is celebrating they are taken hostage by a group of armed men. The little girl, Trudy, manages to get away. While hiding from the men, Trudy finds Santa and enlists his help in saving her family and restoring Christmas magic. Santa fights the bad guys with his magical tricks while Trudy channels the Home Alone movies and sets up fun traps. If you are a fan of action, comedy, and the spirit of the holidays, I highly recommend this movie. Violent Night is great fun.
Click HERE to request Violent Night!
Better Watch Out
I can’t deny it. I like horror and thriller movies. Warning: this movie is one of those. Ashley is a babysitter and is hired to babysit for twelve year old Luke while his family is out of town for the holidays. The evening starts to take a dark turn when a brick is thrown at the house. Written on the brick are the words, “U leave and U die.” Ashley and Luke discover that they are being targeted by an unknown assailant. This movie is FULL of twists and turns. Just when you think you know what is happening everything changes. To sum this one up I would call it a darker, bloodier version of Home Alone. Movies like this are not everyone’s cup of tea as there are no magical holiday feels. If you want a good holiday slasher, this one is meant for you!
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